Train Simulator 2014: Steam Edition

Drive into the new glass-roofed Köln Bonn Airport station in the new Köln Airport Link Route Extension! One of many sights you'll see from the driving seat of this new route extension for the West Rhine: Köln - Koblenz Route Add-On...

Enjoy a truly unique locomotive adventure - the Allgäubahn sees historical rails twinned with modern traction stretching north out of Lindau into southern Germany. Dating back to the mid-1800s, the line out of Lindau is one of the oldest in Germany with the southern terminus perched upon a small island.The original route for the line would head out to Augsburg, before heading south into the Allgäu region, however in 1873 a more direct route was established. The single-track line was doubled in 1907 to meet demands, however it has never been fully electrified – seeing only steam and diesel motive power throughout its life.A fleet of DB BR 245 locomotives were brought in to modernise the route and are perfectly recreated for you to test your skills! These diesel-powered variants of Bombardier’s TRAXX family are capable of 160 km/h and are paired with double decker coaches to increase overall comfort and capacity throughout Allgäu.Explore the southern portion of this historical 89 km route from Kempten to Lindau along with the equally scenic 20 km branch between Immenstadt and Oberstdorf. The valleys of Bavaria are waiting for you!

Be enticed by the Class 390 ‘Pendolino’ – one of the most intriguing trains ever built! Combining the contentious ‘tilting’ technology of the Advanced Passenger Train with Alstom’s ETR 401s, the Pendolino was the first to bring comfortable tilting to British rails – and at speeds of up to 125mph! The perfect addition to fans of the WCML, try out the Pendolino today!

By the turn of the 21st Century, the West Coast Main Line was in dire need of major overhaul, and new traction. The Inter-City powerhouses such as the Class 86 and Class 87 had done their time, and a brand-new era was due.

Privatisation saw Virgin Trains win the bid for the West Coast franchise; it was Virgin’s goal to reduce journey times and improve comfort between London Euston and Glasgow Central. Some of the work to achieve this would be modernisation of the WCML itself, and to run on it, a fleet of state-of-the-art high-speed trains – and to go all out – Virgin wanted tilting traction.

The West Coast Main Line has a history with tilting technology; its many curves slow trains down in order to maintain passenger comfort, and while the track itself cants, or super-elevates, into each curve, there is only a certain degree to which this is a safe practice. Any further tilting would have to be done by the rolling stock themselves.

British Rail engineers explored the concept of a train which could tilt around curves, the project would culminate into the ‘Advanced Passenger Train’ (APT). A gas-turbine experimental unit was developed in the 1970s to prove the theory, and the technology was then tried and tested in the electric prototype in the 1980s.Ultimately, the pressure to push APT into service let flaws seep through while in service, and growing opposition from the press combined with a falling political will saw the project shelved. The traction motor technology was used to develop the Class 91, and the tilting technology sold to Fiat.

Despite the failure of tilting some 20 years prior, it was seen by Virgin Trains as a solution to the slalom-like West Coast Main Line, and so, an order was placed for 53 high-speed electric multiple units. The units were to come from Alstom, who had recently taken over Fiat, which themselves combined the APT technology with their own ETR 401 efforts to make the ‘Pendolino’ family.

The knack of APT’s tilting was that it was too good, a bold claim, but proven with the fact that passengers didn’t notice the tilt, disrupting their balance upon looking out the window. Fiat’s Pendolinos work around this by forcing the train to tilt at key points in the curves, making the motion noticeable, and subsequently less nauseating, for those on-board.

Now refined, the tilting technology of the Pendolinos was to pay dividends; the Virgin Trains fleet, classified as the Class 390, was designed to be capable of 140mph, as it was the intention to have the WCML upgraded for such high speeds.

Unfortunately, the aspirational upgrade was never fully delivered, and the speed limit only taken up to 125. Still, this was a significant increase in-and-of-itself, and the tilting capabilities of the Class 390s could take full advantage of key sections, where conventional trains would have to run slower.

When ordered, the 53 Class 390s were split into 8 and 9-car configurations, however capacity concerns were quickly raised following their introduction into service in 2002, and all units were brought up to 9-cars in 2004. To further increase capacity, 62 extra cars were built and delivered between 2009 and 2012, bringing 31 sets up to 11-cars, and a further 4 brand new 11-car sets also joined the fleet.

Since 2002, the Class 390s have been working limited-stop services between London Euston, and several key stations including Manchester Piccadilly, Liverpool Lime Street, and of course Glasgow Central. The fleet has also traversed the North Wales Coast Line in years prior, hauled by modified Class 57s.

In Train Simulator, the Virgin Trains BR Class 390 ‘Pendolino’ will arrive in Pro Range fashion, kitted out with extra details and features that make the experience all-more immersive. You will be able to take in the sights of Thomson Interactive’s stunning WCML Trent Valley route from a whole new perspective, leaning around every curve and racing past on the fast lines at 125mph.

Add this game-changing Virgin locomotive to your collection today and (thanks to the tilt) get a whole new angle on the WCML!

In response to your important feedback on a variety of add-ons available for Train Simulator 2018, we have today released an update for the Class 07 BR Green

Changelist:

- Fixes missing cab texture.

If you own the Class 07 BR Green, the update will download automatically from Steam. If you have any problems/queries with regard to the update, leave a comment below or submit a ticket to our support site where our Support Team will be ready to assist.

Feel the weight of history on the modern East Coast Main Line between York and Peterborough! A critical part of the ECML, the York-Peterborough route is alive with freight, commuter and high-speed services for you to try.

A line linking London and Edinburgh was envisaged in the 1840s. When the ‘North British’, ‘North Eastern’ and ‘Great Northern’ railway companies built their own routes, they also joined up at certain locations to provide a seamless connection across the eastern face of England and Scotland.

The three companies worked in tandem to provide through services from London, out of King’s Cross which was built in 1852, and Edinburgh, where Waverley station first saw trains in 1866, replacing older stations in the capital of Scotland.

When British railway companies were grouped to form the “Big Four” in 1923, the NBR, NER and GNR of the East Coast Main Line became the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER), and it was in this era when the ECML would be propelled into fame.

The LNER got itself into something of an ongoing rivalry with the West Coast’s LMS, each competing to provide faster connections between London and Scotland. The LNER came out on top with the A4 Pacific ‘4468 Mallard’ which, on the ECML just south of Grantham, set the world speed record for steam at 126 mph.

The ECML is also home to LNER’s famed non-stop “Flying Scotsman” service, which still operates today, and plays host to the fastest British electric locomotive, the Class 91, which reached an impressive 161.7 mph, almost in the same location as Mallard’s record just over 50 years prior. Combined with the late 1980s 140mph speed trial tests in the Class 91 which took place, the track between Peterborough and York is some of Britain’s fastest.

Seeing dozens of trains daily and transporting millions of passengers every year, the East Coast Main Line provides a vital link between notable UK towns and cities..Experience this lovingly recreated piece of railway history as you move passengers and freight through classic stations such as Doncaster and Retford. With a range of included scenarios for the Class 66, 91 and 158, there’s tons for you to try inside!

Picture the Electro-Motive “E-unit.” For an entire generation it was THE motive power for America’s passenger trains – and now the elegant E-unit waiting for you in Train Simulator in the form of the EMD E8 in two classic Amtrak liveries!

When Amtrak was formed as the United States’ intercity passenger carrier in 1971, the company was faced with patching together a fleet of second-hand locomotives. Amtrak first turned to Electro-Motive’s E8 and its younger sister, the E9. Amtrak would operate nearly 200 E-units and the stylish EMD diesels became the workhorses of the early Amtrak era.

The E8 was produced by EMD from 1949 to 1954, and nearly 500 were built. The E8 derived 2,250-horsepower from a pair of EMD 567-series V-12 power plants, rode on an A1A-A1A wheel arrangement, and could be geared to operate at up to 117 miles per hour. During Amtrak service, the E8s operated throughout the country, handling both long-distance trains as well as short-haul services. Amtrak operated its last E-units into the early 1980s.

The Train Simulator Amtrak E8 is provided in cab and booster configurations and is available in Amtrak’s original red-nosed “Phase I” livery and stylish striped “Phase II” scheme. Single- and dual-headlight versions of the E8 are provided as are “as built” and rebuilt variations.

And there’s even more! Accompanying the E8 is Amtrak passenger equipment ideal to re-create U. S. passenger trains of the 1970s and early 1980s. Included with the E8 are an Amtrak baggage car, 48-seat coach, dome-coach, 10-6 sleeper, and diner in Amtrak’s Phase I passenger car livery. The Amtrak E8 DLC features career scenarios on the Miami - West Palm Beach Route Add-On (route available separately) and even includes Train Simulator’s popular Seaboard Coast Line General Electric U36B and freight equipment to provide era-authentic freight traffic.

Take control of pure power with the latest entry to our Pro Range! Created in exacting detail and with a variety of realistic operating features, the Norfolk Southern General Electric C39-8 is a six-axle (C-C), 390,000-pound, 3,900-horsepower locomotive capable of tying onto the heaviest unit coal trains, yet also able to hustle intermodal traffic. A member of General Electric’s “Dash 8” locomotive line that featured advanced microprocessor control for efficiency and improved reliability and modular components for ease of maintenance, the C39-8 was constructed by GE from 1984 through 1987 and 161 units (including a slightly modified C39-8E model) were constructed. Far and away the largest customer for the C39-8 was Norfolk Southern, which purchased 114 C39-8s from 1984 through 1986.The NS C39-8 as crafted by Virtual Rail Creations is an authentic re-creation of Norfolk Southern’s distinctive units, which were configured to primarily operate long-hood forward with a single bi-directional control stand. The husky GEs were both powerful and resilient, and C39-8s served Norfolk Southern for a quarter-century before being retired in 2009.The Norfolk Southern C39-8 is packed with realistic operating features, including cold-start options, a detailed and interactive master controller and rear-of-cab control panel, working Head-of-Train and End-of-Train devices, and Pennsylvania Railroad-style cab signals. And the locomotive is provided in clean, weathered, and snow-dressed versions of the classic Norfolk Southern livery.You want to put this big GE diesel to work, so the pack contains four career scenarios on the Train Simulator Horseshoe Curve route (route available separately). Along with the Norfolk Southern C39-8, this pack also includes a range of rolling stock, highlighted by NS’s innovative Triple Crown 53-foot RoadRailers in two variations (smooth-side and ribbed), as well as modern 2-bay covered hoppers in Norfolk & Western and Southern liveries, and a Norfolk Southern 100-ton, three-bay coal hopper.

Get in the driver’s seat with the greatest bundle of simulation games in the world! The Planes, Trains and Automobiles Sale gives you control of mighty machines from three epic franchises: Flight and Train simulation from Dovetail Games in perfect harmony with Codemaster’s DiRT off-road racing!

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Traverse the landmark Semmeringbahn route in the newly unveiled ÖBB 4010, from noted Partner Programme developer RSSLO. This flagship of the ÖBB promises authenticity abounds as it arrives for Train Simulator service!The ÖBB 4010 provided a long-distance express service between Vienna and Zurich in the form of the “Transalpin”. Simmering-Graz-Pauker rolled three of the new train sets, classified as the ÖBB 4010, off the production line in 1965. Formed of a power car, cab car and four intermediate coaches fitted with first and second class throughout, the new fleet would quickly revolutionise luxury rail travel and would serve the route all the way into the mid-2000s.Getting familiar with the cab of the ÖBB 4010 is key to success. Being a design from the 1960s, it features many classic dials, switches and controls which, while modern for the time, contrast quite considerably with the multiple units of today. With of-the-era rudimentary systems on-board, starting up the ÖBB 4010 is a fairly easy procedure once you know where the relevant controls are; simply raise the pantograph, turn on the main switch, select your intended direction of travel, set the lights up appropriately and you’re good to go.Where the level of complexity increases aboard the ÖBB 4010 is in its driving wheel. When mastered, getting just the right amount of power out of the multiple unit, and knowing how to change it, means a hassle-free journey and a smooth ride for the passengers.Despite being retired just over 9 years ago, the ÖBB 4010s history culminated in a 3-decade express service history, and time as famed traction throughout the Alpine region. And in Train Simulator the tale of the ÖBB 4010 can be yours to continue, as RSSLO’s absolutely crafted rendition arrives for virtual service!

Brace yourself for a real challenge as Victory Works bring Sir Vincent Raven’s powerful fleet of LNER Q6s to life on the Weardale & Teesdale Network – the first public route to use steam locomotives! You’ll be taking control of a locomotive that was specially designed for freight-pulling power and testing yourself against every difficulty the Pro Range label can throw at you.The operational characteristics of the LNER Q6 are complex and the simulation captures them as such. Advanced mode can be toggled depending on how you wish to experience the LNER Q6 – when enabled you can look forward to; realistic wheelslip, simulated steam chest, realistic train pipe and reservoir vacuum braking, cylinder♥♥♥♥♥♥management, boiler management with priming possible, realistic injector control and realistic “by the shovel” stoking with synchronised sound.Being such a successful class the Q6s were rarely modified substantially, however they did have unique details such as steam heat dials, external vacuum brake pipes, piston caps, and overhead warning labels. We’ve lovingly recreated these optional fittings meaning you can decide how you wish to represent a particular member of the class!These incredible trains were in service for more than 50 years but the only way to experience their majesty in the modern world is here on Train Sim! Try this epic chapter in traction history today and make their story your own!